Morning journal and courier., 1887-06-14
rHE DEBATE ON COERCION.
A Spirited Discussion of the Clause Which Deals With the Preclafming of Districts.

Which Deals With the Preclaimins of Districts
 LONDON, June 13.-The House of Com mons this evening resumed debate on the co
 ereion bill, taking up the fifth clause, which deals with the proclaiming of districts.
 Henry Fowler, Liberal, proposed as an amendment that proclamations be made by
 order of the privy council instead of by the v1ceroy. He urged that change of such importance as the proclaiming of district
 should be made by the imperial instead of by the Irish executive. MT. Balfour, chief sec retary for Ireland, declined to accept the
 amendment. He reminded the House that
 the government collectively were responsible
 for every act of the Irish executive. Messrs.
 Healy, NcNeill, Clancy and Dillon, Nation
 alists, successively supported the amendment.
 Mir. Gladstone suggested that the members
 would not spend any more of the short time
 at their command in futile discussion. It would be better, he said, to employ the re- msining time in discussing weightier points. Mir. Smith said he was anxious to allow sufi- cient time for the discussion of substantial questions and he hoped the opposition would assist the government in this direction. Mir. Fowler offered to withdraw his amendment MT. Dillon protested. He declined to take advice from the government as to what amendments should be discussed in the misc rable period left them to contest the measura. MT. Morley said he was sure Mr. Gladstone had not meant to suggest that the opposition assist in limiting the debate in accordance with the governments ideas. The opinions of the Parnellites upon the relative impor- tance of amendments deserved more atten- tlon than the opinions of English memb bers. The amendment was put to division and was rejected, 235 to 167.
 MT. Doherty moved an amendment that proclamations be issued only on the report of judge of the high court after local in- quiry. MT. Holmes, the Irish attorney gen. eral, opposed the amendment on the ground that it was not advisable to remove any re- sponsibility from the executive. A local in quiry, he said, would be valueless because the judge would have no poweS to take evil dence on oath. MT. Clancy said the govern ment would have been more candid if they had given the reason for their opposition to the amendment their desire to retain for political purposes the power of proclaiming a district. The amendment was rejected by a vote of 202 to 126.
 MT. Shaw. Lefevre moved an amendment limiting the authority of the viceroy in pros claiming to districts where it might be neces- sary for the prevention Of crime and outrage. He appealed to the government to assent to the alteration, which he said would bring the clause in accord with the act of 1882. Sir R. E. Webster, attorney general, said it was refreshing to hear MT. Shaw-Lefeyre de- lending the act of 1882. The government, he added could not accept the propo sal. The object of the bill being to punish the authors as well as to prevent the commission of crime, the amend ments would hamper the operation of the measure. MT. Morley said he had never heard more 1udicrous reason given for the omission of an important limitation. It showed that the real object of the bill was not the prevention of crime, but the suppress sion of political combinations. (Cheers.) Mr. Bradlaugh suggested that to meet the views of the government the words land punishment" be added to the amendment after the word t'prevention." MT. Balfour anno unced that the government accepted the amendment with MT. Bradlaugh's modified tion. (Cheers.)